Chap. XX.] INTERFEKING CAUSES. 345 



intelligible, if we admit that promiscuous intercourse was 

 the aboriginal and therefore long-revered custom of the 

 tribe." 



Although the manner of development of the marriage- 

 tie is an obscure subject, as we may infer from the diver- 

 gent opinions on several points between the three authors 

 who have studied it most closely, namely, Mr. Morgan, 

 Mr. McLennan, and Sir J. Lubbock, yet from the forego- 

 ing and several other lines of evidence it seems certain 

 that the habit of marriage has been gradually developed, 

 and that almost promiscuous intercourse was once ex- 

 tremely common throughout the world, Nevertheless, 

 from the analogy of the lower animals, more particularly 

 of those whicli come nearest to man in the series, I cannot 

 believe that this habit prevailed at an extremely remote 

 period, when man had hardly attained to his present rank 

 in the zoological scale. Man, as I have attempted to 

 show, is certainly descended from some ape-like creature. 

 With the existing Quadrumana, as far as their habits are 

 known, the males of some species are monogamous, but 

 live during only a part of the year with the females, as 

 seems to be the case with the Orang. Several kinds, as 

 some of the Indian and American monkeys, are strictly 

 monogamous, and associate all the year round with their 

 wives. Others are polygamous, as the Gorilla and sev- 

 eral American species, and each family lives separate. 

 Even when this occurs, the families inhabiting the same 

 district are probably to a certain extent social : the Chim- 

 panzee, for instance, is occasionally met with in large 

 bands. Again, other species are polygamous, but several 

 males, each with their own females, live associated in a 



* ' Origin of Civilization,' 1870, p. 86. In the several works above 

 quoted there will be found copious evidence on relationship through the 

 females alone, or with the tribe alone. 



